Health reform needed

A DEBATE over health care in Australia could see the biggest shake-up of the system in decades, after a report released yesterday called for a Federal Government takeover of some key areas.

Already the politicians are using the issue to deflect criticism of their own failings, declaring it all about the public and the clinicians.

Of course it is, sadly though for us in NSW, that has not been the case for many years. We have suffered from a succession of inept ministers, who found it all to easy to blame others when the problems mounted.

The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission has called for a Commonwealth takeover of primary care but has stopped short of recommending the same step for hospitals. Given the state of hospital management in NSW, we wonder why.